Paper is a cellulose pulp derived material that can be used in a number of different products and applications. For each papermaking process, a correlation exists between the fibers used and the characteristics of the final paper product. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,582,681 to Back et al.; Sabharwal, H. S., Akhtar, M., Blanchette, R. A., and Young, R. A., Refiner Mechanical and Biomechanical Pulping of Jute, Holzforschung 49: 537-544, 1995; and Mohta, D., Roy, D. N., and Whiting, P., Production of Refiner Mechanical Pulp From Kenaf for Newsprint in Developing Countries, TAPPI Journal Vol. 3(4), 2004; each of which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety. The quality of the final paper product and the type of paper product produced is also dependent on pulping, refining and other general papermaking processes used.
Various methods for producing a reconstituted tobacco involve the use of paper-making techniques. In a typical paper-making reconstituted tobacco process, tobacco is extracted with water, and the resulting aqueous extract and water insoluble pulp are separated from one another. The pulp portion can be refined to a desired consistency, and formed into a mat or web, much like wood pulp fibers in a traditional paper making process. The aqueous tobacco extract is applied to the mat of insoluble pulp, and the overall resulting mixture is dried to provide a reconstituted tobacco sheet incorporating the tobacco components from which that sheet can be derived. Typically, tobacco stems are used in making such a reconstituted tobacco sheet, because the fibrous nature of those stems provides strength and structural integrity to the resulting sheet. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,398,754 to Tughan; U.S. Pat. No. 3,847,164 to Mattina; U.S. Pat. No. 4,131,117 to Kite; U.S. Pat. No. 4,182,349 to Selke; U.S. Pat. No. 4,270,552 to Jenkins; U.S. Pat. No. 4,308,877 to Mattina; U.S. Pat. No. 4,341,228 to Keritsis; U.S. Pat. No. 4,421,126 to Gellatly; U.S. Pat. No. 4,706,692 to Gellatly; U.S. Pat. No. 4,962,774 to Thomasson; U.S. Pat. No. 4,941,484 to Clapp; U.S. Pat. No. 4,987,906 to Young; U.S. Pat. No. 5,056,537 to Brown; U.S. Pat. No. 5,143,097 to Sohn; U.S. Pat. No. 5,159,942 to Brinkley et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,325,877 to Young; U.S. Pat. No. 5,445,169 to Brinkley; U.S. Pat. No. 5,501,237 to Young; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,533,530 to Young, which are incorporated herein by reference.
Cigarettes, cigars, and pipes are popular smoking articles that employ tobacco in various forms. Such smoking articles are employed by heating or burning tobacco to generate aerosol (e.g., smoke) that can be inhaled by the smoker. Popular smoking articles, such as cigarettes, have a substantially cylindrical rod shaped structure and include a charge, roll or column of smokable material such as shredded tobacco (e.g., in cut filler form) surrounded by a paper wrapper thereby forming a so-called “smokable rod” or “tobacco rod.” Normally, a cigarette has a cylindrical filter element aligned in an end-to-end relationship with the tobacco rod. Typically, a filter element comprises plasticized cellulose acetate tow circumscribed by a paper material known as “plug wrap.” Certain cigarettes incorporate a filter element having multiple segments. Typically, the filter element is attached to one end of the tobacco rod using a circumscribing wrapping material known as “tipping paper.” Descriptions of cigarettes and the various components thereof are set forth in Tobacco Production, Chemistry and Technology, Davis et al. (Eds.) 1999. Various properties of paper materials used for cigarette manufacture, and of the cigarettes manufactured using those papers, are set forth in Durocher, TJI, 188-194 (March/1985), herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.
Various types of containers for dispensing solid objects, particularly solid products intended for human consumption, are known in the art. Such containers are often characterized by a hand-held size that can be easily stored and transported. Exemplary consumable products that are often packaged in such containers include a wide variety of consumer products, including tobacco-related products. Cigarette packages and containers that protect the cigarettes from crushing and/or preserve the freshness of the cigarettes are known in the prior art. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,699,903 to Focke et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,161,733 to Latif; U.S. Pat. No. 7,484,619 to Boriani et al; U.S. Pat. No. 7,617,930 to Jones et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 8,016,105 to Sendo, each of which is incorporated herein by reference. Typically, such prior art packages are box-shaped containers made of a paper or cardstock material in either a “softpack” or “hardpack” form. While some designs of the softpack package are capable of retaining a measure of freshness, the softpack package offers little, or no protection against crushing. Similarly, some designs of the hardpack package help to preserve freshness to some extent and offer some protection against crushing. An example of a hardpack package is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,164,444 to Bray et al., herein incorporated by reference in its entirety, which discloses a typical hinged-lid, box-shaped container that is made from a “rigid card material.” Further examples of cigarette or tobacco packages made of a paper or cardstock material are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 1,496,474 to Lloyd; U.S. Pat. No. 2,960,264 to Walter; U.S. Pat. No. 5,044,550 to Lamm; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,097,948 to Campbell, each of which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.
Smokeless tobacco products are typically sold in hand-held tins or pucks constructed of fiberboard, metal, or molded plastic (e.g., polypropylene), and which have an outer paper or plastic seal enclosing the container. Such containers generally have a shallow cylindrical shape with a detachable lid. See, for example, the containers set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 4,098,421 to Foster; U.S. Pat. No. 4,190,170 to Boyd; and U.S. Pat. No. 7,798,319 to Bried et al., each of which is incorporated herein by reference.
As exemplified above, there are countless uses for paper and paperboard products. It would desirable to provide further uses for tobacco in paper products.